CityPASS celebrates a milestone anniversary

6 March 2012

Spring 2012 marks the 15th anniversary of CityPASS, the company that packages — at tremendous savings — the top attractions in 11 North American destinations. Launched simultaneously in San Francisco and Seattle in 1997, CityPASS is the brainchild of co-CEOs Mike Gallagher and Mike Morey, who parlayed their respective attraction marketing and industry research skills into the creation of an easy-to-use pass offering prepaid admission — and often line-skipping VIP access — to a city’s most popular sights.

“It’s our partner attractions and destinations that make CityPASS such a terrific product,” Gallagher says. “When it comes to places to go and things to see, these are the most famous, not-to-be-missed sights.”

Fifteen years and eight million CityPASSes later, travelers agree. A July 2011 survey of CityPASS visitors in New York City found that 99 percent said they would recommend CityPASS to their friends and family members. And in the “Reviews” section of the CityPASS website, travelers give the passes an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

“One of the reasons we’ve achieved such high customer satisfaction numbers is because we limit the pass to the top five or six attractions in each city, making it easy for visitors to enjoy the sights over a weekend or during a longer vacation —without ever feeling rushed,” said Mike Morey. “We never wanted customers to feel like they had to race from attraction to attraction to get their money’s worth.”

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, CityPASS is launching a “Happy Traveler Getaway” that will give away two trips for two to any CityPASS destination. In addition to two CityPASS tickets for the respective destination, winners will receive round-trip airfare for two, a four-night hotel stay, an allowance for a full-sized car rental or public transportation, and $1,000 to use toward meals, shopping and other expenses (estimated value $6,000 per package). The contest is open to U.S and Canadian residents; for more information, visit CityTraveler.com/happytraveler.

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The company has also created a 15th anniversary infographic that uses a colorful time line and engaging artwork to chart CityPASS’s history.